David Byrne - Live at Union Chapel
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DVD details
Artist: David ByrneBrand: WEA DES Moines Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); Dutch (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-10-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Rhino
DVD Reviews of David Byrne - Live at Union Chapel
DVD Review: David, this is personal, kind of...
Summary: 4 Stars
David Byrne's music is important, so I will treat it thusly. My personal relation to it goes deep. I love his solo stuff just as much as Talking Heads and own every piece of work the man has ever done. So, first off, I agree with all these other reviewers. The experience watching this DVD doesn't compare to seeing him live. Having known very little of the man and only owning a few standard TH's albums ("Remain In Light", "Little Creatures" and "Fear Of Music"), I happened to see David perform for my first time at the Apollo Theatre during his Eyeball tour in 2001 and immediately became a devote fan. A month later he preformed again for four nights at the Bowery Ball Room in Manhattan and of course I was there for each night. Then I saw him perform his Backwards tour in Carnegie Hall in the summer of '04. He actually preformed there twice; the first time sharing the stage with Caetano Veloso, singing only a few numbers and then a few months later appeared again to sing his whole set. I think his best and most elegant performance was that night he sang with Veloso. Every song was executed with dead-on concentration and finesse. The last song of the evening was "Heaven" like I've never heard before. His voice was in rare form, coming out smooth but more warped than I've ever heard it- perfection! While not being perfect! It was the best I've ever heard him sing; brave, taking chances, hitting notes on a hair thin line. It might have had something to do with the fact the he shared the stage with a voice like Veloso's who happens to be one of the most respected Brazilian musicians known today. Nonetheless, he seemed relaxed but humble. There was no sense of intimidation; almost like they both knew there was not need for it.
And then there were the audiences. I remember for each concert, screaming fans, dancing, releasing all inhibitions and just letting the music take over. I remember everyone's' energy soaring and with every song, energetic and LOUD. David, every time would somehow connect with the audience in a way that just felt right; and the place, in return would just turn into an utter frenzy. This only pushed David and his band to out-do themselves. There was a standing ovation for 10 minutes after each concert with the loudest screaming I have ever subjected my ears to. And there was David, surprised and humble with this larger than life smile on his face. But when I see the faces on this DVD, it seems like they're not quite sure what they're witnessing. It looks like they're enjoying it, but also thinking "sounds great, but I'm not sure what I should do with it." And we see the effect this on everyone especially Mauro, who I remembered really exploding with the most complex, heart pounding rhythms and beats that really gave the music power. Moreover, there is no sense of that interaction of the band with the audience that I felt when I saw him live. A shame! Watching it, I do notice the band reaching for it from the audience in many places. Where these connections are made, in my opinion, lie in the more quiet songs. It is obvious that this concerts setting lends itself to that, but then, perhaps a solid structured set list of similar songs might have made more sense? That would certainly not have bothered me. However, this concert tries to fill both sides with loud, pulsating grooves and subtle, smooth melodies. This should not have been a problem had it not been for the audience, not the setting. I thought A Chapel was indeed an interesting and weird choice, chosen on purpose most likely. Lets not forget who's concert this is. Anyone who knows should understand that surprises like this should not be overlooked. Again I think Byrne in a chapel didn't just happen by accident.
For the most part his play list for both 2001 and 2004 tours consisted mostly of songs from his latest albums. His 2001 tour included:
God's Child, Marching Through The Wilderness, and of course the givens, The Great Intoxication, The Revolution, Desconocido Soy, Like Humans Do, What A Day That Was, some Talking Heads stuff (Nothing But Flowers, And She was, Life During Wartime, Once In A Lifetime and Road To Nowhere) and yes, even a sneak peak of The Other Side Of this Life. Then there were some surprises like Buck Naked, The Moment Of Conception, A Soft Seduction (my favorite) and The Accident (another favorite).
His 2004 tour consisted mostly of the same sets; the same five Talking Head songs with a few new ones like This Must Be The Place and I Zimbra. The givens like The Revolution, The Great Intoxication, Like Humans, What A Day and Lazy, which was much more energetic and powerful than the DVD version. And then of course some new solo numbers that, unfortunately, are nowhere to be found on this DVD like Infinite=Finite, The Other Side Of This Life, Glass Concrete And Stone, Why, Tiny Apocalypse, She Only Sleeps and Dialog Box.
Byrne is one of those talents that does more than just sing songs; he performs songs from an inner place that uses the music to bring about a real emotion and artistic approach that has its own uniqueness. He doesn't force it; you can tell he just lets things happen and this, in my opinion, from what I saw is largely due to how his audience perceives and reacts to him. I found that a supportive audience that is into the music almost pushes him further to points where all these wonderful surprises and happy accidents start to happen and this is what live shows are all about.
As for the music. I have a few points I'd like to make. First, David, if you do happen to read this, I hope this finds you well. Your performance with Cateno Veloso was a night to remember. The songs that I got the most feeling from both live and on the DVD are:
U.B. Jesus, Heaven, The Accident, The Revolution, Sax And Violins (which I have never seen live until the DVD and was amazed at the level you took it), Lazy (the Carnegie Hall performance), Un Di Felice (the DVD performance), You Don't Know Me, God's Child, Aucensia (the DVD performance was breathtaking, better then Carnegie Hall), Nothing But Flowers and my favorite which you sang at the Bowery 3 years ago, A Soft Seduction.
If you are to keep performing, here are some Talking Heads suggestions I would love to hear some day:
Bill, The Democratic Circus, First Week/Last Week...Carefree, Papa Legba, Love For Sale, Puzzlin' Evidence, Moon Rocks, Memories Can't Wait, Houses In Motion, Totally Nude, The Facts Of Life, Walk It Down, Big Daddy, Cool Water and The Overload! Why is there not a live version of "The Overload"? It's a crime that it doesn't exist, or does it? I was expecting it to be on 'The Name Of This Band" but it is not! How could a song like that not ever have been recorded live? There must be a tape somewhere!
As for your solo stuff:
I would love if you did more songs from "The Forrest", "The Catherine Wheel" and "Uh-Oh" and others like Good And Evil, Make Believe Mambo, Independence Day, The Dream Police, Women vs. Men, Office Cowboy and my favorite, "I Know Sometimes a Man is Wrong".
My favorites from "Uh-Oh": Now I'm Your Mom, A Walk In The Dark, A Million Miles Away, Something Ain't Right, Hanging Upside Down and Somebody.
Then there's: "Nothing At All", "Strange Ritual" and "A Long Time Ago" which happen to be some of your best
Those are all your best in my opinion, but what, I think, would be more challenging than anything is if you did your more instrumental stuff in-between songs from "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts", "Lead Us Not Into Temptation", "The Forest" and "The Catherine Wheel"
I'm not sure just how much of a concert you would be willing to devote to these types of songs, but I think you could really go to some very interesting places with that stuff - expand on it and see what happens. You do it so well with your voice.
These are serious requests, as you can see, from a serious fan. I've seen enough concerts and am familiar enough with the music to makes these observations and suggestions. Furthermore, these songs can really bring out some strong emotions and are most compatible for allowing those beautiful, unscripted, improvisational moments that can really take the music down some interesting paths, letting the artist have fun and come up with something new each time. In all honesty, this was something I think you could have let breathe a little more in all your performances. For what I have seen over the years, just as you find a groove or start to move into foreign, unknown lands, that are "uninhabited" in terms of the music, you almost stop the journey and return back home to a more familiar area where all the streets are named and used. But I understand the mentality behind your music and the art of control you must have with your voice. I also know that self-indulgence is not what your music is about and that's why I love it. But you should not let that stop your music from growing and challenging itself when you play it live. Solos are good too.
The second thing I want to address are the strings. Although I thought they worked well, there were moments where they seemed to be a constraint. I didn't find them to have much of a contribution to the music in terms of pushing it on an independent level. They were subtle, which is not bad, but then too subtle during parts where they needed to step up and compliment and challenge the songs more. There were some nice arrangements in the beginning of songs like The Great Intoxication, and for U.B. but even here still felt too fast paced. I felt there could have been more of an interaction that challenged the music instead of just playing along with it. Maybe a solo or two, some improv, a change of pace to stir things up. The funkiness was lagging. The strings just felt too scripted and that just ate into to feel of the concert, making it feel rushed. I would have liked to see the parts slowed down a bit in some areas to let things breathe and talk. There's no need to rush, it's a live concert. It's surprising to see just what a slightly longer moment of silence can do to an audience. Where the concert succeeds most with this concept is your singing; always in control and at it's own pace. But sometimes going at your own pace means you have to go at someone else's for a while. And with that, Mr. Byrne I will say, until next time, I look forward to your next project and hope that one day some of this will get through in one way or another and help in any way that it can.
Thanks for your great music and inspiration.
Description of David Byrne - Live at Union Chapel
DAVID BYRNE:LIVE AT UNION CHAPEL - DVD MovieAlternative Rock Music CDs
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